I love anything celestial. Throw a star on something and it makes it oh so much cooler. Combine the idea of no more winter with looking at the heavens, and I'm all ears.
Yesterday, March 20th, was this year's Vernal Equinox. Huh? First day of Spring! Warm weather, longer days, flowers blooming...aahhh, bliss. No, wait a minute, I'm not so sure about the last one because all those flowers blooming send my sinuses into overdrive and that means that I'll be walking around constantly with a Kleenex in my hand. Oh well, I guess that's a small price to pay for all that Spring beauty.
People talk about how on the equinox, the night and day are exactly the same length. That's not exactly true. On the equinox (spring and fall), night is exactly the same lenght for the northern hemisphere and the southern hemisphere. I know, it's splitting hairs a little bit but clarification is always a good thing.
Historically, people looked forward to the Vernal Equinox each year because it meant that the time of rebirth was upon them. For the poor, it meant more time to get things done- more daylight=more work time. For the elite, more time to party. Bedtime didn't come upon you quite as early. The marriage of King Henry VIII of England and his 4th wife, Anne of Cleves, was an arranged one. Neither party saw the other until she arrived in England. Legally, the marriage was already a done deal; it just needed to be consummated in the marriage bed. Henry claimed that he was so disgusted by his wife's ugliness that he was unable to perform his husbandly duties. He decreed the next day that when he took his next wife, the wedding night would happen on the Vernal Equinox so he wouldn't have to worry about spending too long of a night with an ugly woman. Somebody should have given him a mirror, because at that point in his life, Henry wasn't much of a looker himself!
Regardless of Henry's marital woes, Spring is here! Whip out the flip-flops, pluck a buttercup or two and get ready for the beautiful days to come.
Did he really say she was too ugly?! OMG! I would have been like... forget you Henry! I hate you! LOL... that's terrible. But.. anyhow. Spring and fall are my favorites. I'm not a fan of extremes. Summer is too hot and buggy, and winter make me feel sorta depressed and sluggish. Flip flops and shorts just plain rock!!!! :)
ReplyDeleteLOL- yes, Henry did pretty much say that. I think the comment was "I like her not!" That became the catch phrase around his court for quite some time. It wasn't that she was ugly, she was just plain and she came from an area where fancy clothes and regular bathing weren't the norm. Henry loved his "perfect English roses." I feel sorry for Anne because she had to deal with people talking about her looks and her habits like that. But Henry gets it in the end. His next wife Catherine Howard was a "perfect English rose"- pretty, clean, a flirtatious little teenager. Too bad she didn't limit her flirtations (and what comes after not-so-innocent flirting) to her husband. Imagine being the King of England and finding out that your wife is cheating on you!
ReplyDeletewould pluck be the right word. I know you are a woman of words, but to pluck a buttercup? I would say pick a flower and pluck a string[on a guitar] but I'm sure I am wrong and you well enlighten me.
ReplyDeletePluck...pick
ReplyDeleteIn the words of the amazing Karen from Will & Grace, "You say 'potato' I say 'vodka.'"
haha I do love Karen. :)
ReplyDelete